(Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish. Want to make your own list? Clicking the image will take you to this week’s post. Happy listing!)
I’m as big a fan of YA literature as the next blogger, but I’m starting to get really annoyed with all the series. It started with Meyer’s Twilight series, and it’s only getting worse. Just once, I want to sit down to a YA novel that doesn’t end with a cliffhanger and then a preview chapter of the next in the trilogy.
So the next time you’re ready to fling that “first in a series” against a wall, here’s some great standalone YA/children’s stories to read instead.
1. Charlotte’s Web (E.B. White) – A classic, one worth reading aloud with your kids (or by yourself).
2. Impossible (Nancy Werlin) – A twisted story based on the author’s interpretation of Simon and Garfunkel’s song “Scarborough Fair,” which in turn is an adaptation of an ancient ballad about an elfin knight.
3. From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg) – What kid (or, ahem, adult) doesn’t dream of running away to New York and living in the Metropolitan Museum of Art?
4. Number the Stars (Lois Lowry) – I read this about a gazillion times in middle school. Amazing storytelling from an amazing author.
5. Ash (Malinda Lo) – This one took me on quite a ride, and I loved it!
6. Graceling (Kristin Cashore) – I rave about this book at every opportunity. Great main character and themes. Yes, there’s other books set in the world, with Bitterblue being touted as a quasi-sequel, but this book stands perfectly well on its own.
7. The House of Tomorrow (Peter Bognanni) – A story about a boy who lives in a bubble (seriously), punk music, first love, and growing up. Fantastic.
8. Forever… (Judy Blume) – This book made me cry. So wonderful, especially for teenagers/young adults.
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) – Labeled YA officially, but I think even adults can gain a lot from this book. Read it for the first time late last year, and enjoyed it.
10. The Secret Garden (Frances Hodgson Burnett) – A little bit gothic, a little bit naturalist, and all kinds of awesome. Abridged/illustrated versions are great for younger kids, but the full novel is perfect for anyone high school and up. Wonderful.
What standalone YA novels did I miss? Let me know in the comments!
Great idea! I’ll need to check out some of these now. I’m getting sick of all the series too!
They’re coming out of the woodwork! o.O I hope you like any of the books from this list you might pick up; The Secret Garden in particular doesn’t really read like a YA novel, and has some spooky elements.
I definitely hear you about the all the YA series. It’s getting to be ridiculous that that you can hardly read and enjoy a YA book without committing yourself to at least two more in the series if you ever want to know how things turn out. =/
I remember loving From the Mixed Up Files… when I was a kid and more recently really liking The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
A few of my favorite standalones are Fat Kid Rules the World by K.L. Going, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly, and How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff.
Great list!
I don’t know exactly where this trend is coming from, but I hope it ends soon; otherwise I’ll have to read books for grown-ups, and where’s the fun in that?! 🙂
Although I read several of Konigsburg’s books as a kid, Mixed-Up Files was always my favorite. It just sounded so delicious to run away and live in a museum. I so would have stayed in the Egyptian wing.
I’ve never heard of the books you mention, but I definitely need to check them out. Thanks for the recommendations!
Totally agree, there are some fantastic standalone YA books out there! Several here I haven’t read (I’m not sure whether I ever read The Secret Garden – I saw so many adaptations growing up that I may never have bothered reading it, only it’s so vivid in my head I feel like I did! I got a copy a couple of years ago and I keep meaning to read it), and a few that sound new to me.
I was a bit disappointed by Impossible, to be honest. Still one of my favourite covers though!
I have Graceling – I always thought it was the first in a series! Isn’t the second book Fire? I must have just assumed based on how excited bloggers were when it came out and how they talked about it!
I know exactly what you mean about The Secret Garden — I’ve seen several adaptations too. The book is much more gothic, and the garden feels like a main character. Burnett was also a big believer in Christian Science, so the book became a vehicle for that as well. Really interesting stuff. And a great story too, of course.
Impossible had some great moments, but sometimes it felt like the fact that it was set in current times made the challenge easier for Lucy — she had technology, for example. But I can’t really consider that a flaw of the writing. Overall I liked it a lot.
Fire is set in the same world as Graceling, but is actually a sort of prequel, and in a different “zone” of the world. There is a sequel, called Bitterblue, that supposedly will be released this year. Even though characters from Graceling are in it, it’s going to follow a third set of characters. So each book can stand on its own.